It is well known that too much oil and fat in the diet is unhealthy. It is also well known that much of the oil and fat in the diet is the result of consuming foodstuff, such as hamburger meat, fried in a frying pan. In general cooking oil is placed on the frying pan. During the denaturing process involved in cooking meat it is normal for grease to be released. The combined residual cooking oil and grease tend to well in the bottom of the flat pan. The oil and grease is then taken up with the foodstuff when it is removed from the pan.
In an effort to control the amount of oil and fat in the diet, makers of cooking utensils have provided a variety of approaches to reducing the amount of oil and fat actually residual on the foodstuff. Today's cook has dealt with the problem of excess oil and grease in the pan using a variety of conventional methods. Paper towels, for example, have been used to absorb the oil and grease. It is also common for cooks to loosely place the pan cover over the frying pan followed by tilting of the cover-pan combination to allow excess oil and grease to drain away. Pasta colanders have been used for draining the oil and grease and metal racks have also been used to allow the oil and grease of the foodstuff to drain off. Some cooks have gone so far as to refrigerate the cooked foodstuff to harden the grease, which is then removed.
As an alternative to these approaches, utensils specifically designed for dealing with the issue of excess oil and grease have been devised. One popular utensil is the cooking grill which allows the oil and fat to run off of the material being cooked. However, the grill surface is difficult to clean and requires additional care in both manufacturing and in handling. Other utensils are directed to providing an angled surface at the bottom of a fryer in order to effect movement of the oil and grease away from the foodstuff. However, these devices, while providing some improvement in the field, are limited in their broad application because of inconvenience in use, high cost of manufacture, or general bulkiness.
Accordingly, as in so many areas of technology, there is room for advancement in the art of cooking utensils.